Help Me Save My Father

My name is Grace Joren, I live in Cebu City Philippines. This is my father Virgilio Joren. My father is 70 years old and works as a Tricycle driver.

Saturday, January 19, 2019, my father suddenly coughed at the same time he seemed to lost his voice. I saw a lot of phlegm which is sticky mucus-secreting form his cough. Then, Sunday, Jan 20, 2019, 3 am in the morning he woke us up and said that his back and his chest was severely aching and he said that it might be just gas. We observed him for a while but after a few minutes he crawled into a fetus position and said that the pain was no longer bearable. I decided to rush him to the hospital.

When we got to the hospital, we were admitted to an emergency room. While waiting for us to be accommodated, my father suddenly screamed for help. He grabbed his chest and said that the pain is unbearable and that he could no longer breathe. I called for help, a nurse came and decided to put my father with oxygen. The nurse then took some of his vital stats and x-ray.

Results were in and their findings were pneumonia. The doctor gave prescription medicines and gave a discharge slip to have my father leave the hospital. I was able to take my father home.

From then, I could not leave my father alone at home. I had to work at home just to make sure that I could properly observe and medicate my father with medicines that were prescribed to him. But, from time to time, my father would wake up and complain about not being able to breathe. I had no idea what was going on with my father. Out of desperation, I had to massage his chest to ease the pain.

Then on January 26, 2019, I decided to take my father to Hi-precision Diagnostic Medical Center and City Health Department in Cebu City. He had to undergo 9 laboratory test (2D echo, ECG X-ray chest PA, lipid profile, kidney, liver, CBC, blood sugar). We had to go back and forth to these two clinics. They could not be able to help us. So I decided to take him back to the hospital.

In the hospital, the doctor suggested to admit him to one of the emergency rooms and have his laboratory test again. For two days that I was there in the emergency room with my father I was thinking, “WHY?!”, It was my first time to feel that I was alone and helpless. I always say to my father “I will never leave you no matter what, wherever you will go I will make sure that I will be there with you .” (“Walang iwanan”). I already have fulfilled my promise to him that I would work hard, now it’s time for me to keep my other promise which is to be there with him when he needs me the most.

For two days in the hospital, I was already billed with P77,000 pesos ($1471.51). In my mind, I was saying “I won't give up, I will keep on fighting. This is only money compared to not seeing you alive and well. I will find a way. ”. I felt like I was a crazy person, I had no one to talk to. I had to talk to myself at the hospital. Trying to be positive, trying to be strong and praying desperately that everything will be okay.

On the second day in the hospital, we were advised to have my father do an angiogram. It costs us another P60,000 peso ($1146.63). After he had his procedure, the doctor explained to me his findings. I could not understand all the medical words he was uttering, all I know is that it was something with his heart. One of the nerves of his heart was no longer working properly. I cried in front of the doctor and I really don’t know what to do. I called my brother, hopelessly trying to explain to him what was going on with father. I went back to the room where my father was, and he asked: “What was the results?”. I couldn’t tell him, I don't want him to feel depressed, so I said: “Everything is okay, everything will be alright.”

On the third day, in the hospital, we were advised to move my father from the emergency room to a wardroom. So far, everything was okay with my father. Then on the fourth night, my father suddenly woke up and he started screaming, calling for help, he said: “Please help me! I think I’m going to die!”. (“Tabang! Kay mamatay na jud ko!”). I called the nurse, the doctor rushed in to help, gave my father some medicine and he was stable again. Hours after the incident, the nurse approached us and said that they couldn’t anymore bill us anymore since our current hospital bill already passed the limit. I desperately told the nurse that I will pay P10,000 pesos ($191.10) as partial payment.

After that, I went to different social services for help, but no one was willing to offer. I could not ask for help to my family since I am the only breadwinner in the family.

Then, the doctor gave us two options: It was either my father would undergo bypass surgery or undergo angioplasty. Bypass surgery would cause us P1.4M pesos and the angioplasty would cost us P400,000 pesos($7644.20). So, we told the doctor that we would go for the Angioplasty surgery.

I am asking for your help, as a daughter to help me save my father. He is a kind man and a loving father. All I ask is to have the opportunity to spend more time with him and tell him how much we love him. I don't want to give up now, not when he needs me the most. Please help me save my father.